Some biblical scholars believe that the story of the fall from the Garden of Eden was a cultural memory of the transition from foraging to agriculture: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.” 79 So why did our foraging ancestors leave Eden? For many, it was never an explicit choice: they had multiplied themselves into a Malthusian trap in which the fat of the land could no longer support them, and they had to grow their food themselves. The states emerged only later, and the foragers who lived at their frontiers could either be absorbed into them or hold out in their old way of life. For those who had the choice, Eden may have been just too dangerous. A few cavities, the odd abscess, and a couple of inches in height were a small price to pay for a fivefold better chance of not getting speared. Steven Pinker
About This Quote

The story of Adam and Eve is a long-standing myth that has been popularized across cultures. In the story, Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden by God after they eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In this depiction, Adam and Eve are depicted as being punished for getting too close to God. However, this is a simplistic version of an event that occurred into the past, before written history was even a possibility.

The story is familiar because it shows us how distant our ancestors were from us. It also shows us how different our perspectives are today.

Source: The Better Angels Of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

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